Minister of Fire2.

NULL

Don, that is for an 8" wood stove? So an insulated thimble would benefit slightly. A wood stove must keep the flue gases as warm as possible, for as long as possible. But with wood, many people burn unseasoned wood. Very few people actually let there wood sit the required 2-3 years before burning.

As for pellet stoves? Pellets have a very low moisture content and can stand a lower flue temp. Insulating a liner on a pellet stove is not as big of a deal as a wood stove.

As is the thimble on a pellet stove? Silicone the pipe to thimble connection and call it a day.

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Hi Dexter
That is for wood or pellet
I see your point Dexter in that keeping the flue warmer for wood stoves prevents creasote buildup and is not the case for pellet stoves.

My point is that keeping the flue warmer for pellet stoves keeps the flue cleaner longer because the ashes do not condense so quickly and make it out the exit of the flue pipe.

Also my point for bringing up the wood stove is that the Rock Wool insulation is NFI acceptable for use in insulating the fireplaces for wood stoves. Therefore it is also accepted for wood pellet stoves.

My main point is that the up and out venting I setup in the garage was real drafty and cold around the pipe coming through the thimble. Before I used silicone which does not have enough R value, I wanted to really stop any cold from coming in by using an acceptable fire rated insulation. Since Selkirk uses it for thimbles it must be acceptable. The fire rated, soundproof 5-1/2 inch Roxul I used is R24 which has got to be better than a very cold air space.

Just look at this video you may understand the properties of Rock Wool a little better! This is what I am talking about!
As they say in the video, "Have you ever seen a rock burn?"
Believe me after seeing this I feel much safer having my pellet pipe surrounded by rock wool than an air space! Wow! ! !

Minister of Fire2.

NULL

Don do you realize what you are doing and saying? You cannot under any circumstances stuff a whole wad of insulation into a space which it is not designed for. You could very well (or anyone else you is taking this advice) create a hot spot in the thimble and start a structure fire when you were actually just trying ti stop a draft through a tiny crack...which by many building code enforcement folks is supposed to be left WITHOUT silicone. mods...Please put an end to this thread before someone burns down their house.

Minister of Fire2.

NULL

Don do you realize what you are doing and saying? You cannot under any circumstances stuff a whole wad of insulation into a space which it is not designed for. You could very well (or anyone else you is taking this advice) create a hot spot in the thimble and start a structure fire when you were actually just trying ti stop a draft through a tiny crack...which by many building code enforcement folks is supposed to be left WITHOUT silicone. mods...Please put an end to this thread before someone burns down their house.

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What is wrong with using the Selkirk insulated pellet stove wall thimble? You cannot tell people not to use it! Silicone should also be used! Why do you dislike Selkirk? We are still waiting for an answer.

Vermont Castings Geek2.

NULL

What is wrong with using the Selkirk insulated pellet stove wall thimble? You cannot tell people not to use it! Silicone should also be used! Why do you dislike Selkirk? We are still waiting for an answer.

Guest2.

NULL

someone correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't use the Selkirk product, but unless adding insulation to the annular space between the pipe and the thimble is expressly mentioned (as allowed) in the manufacturer's instructions for that thimble, then it is not allowed. Adding insulation can cause a buildup of heat where it isn't intended, and possibly cause a very dangerous situation. We don't use the Selkirk product, so I cannot comment from experience, but the licenses I hold basically prohibit me doing things that are not expressly allowed. I guess the negligible gain you *might* get in insulating the thimble really isn't worth the more likely *risk* you take in doing so.....

agreed- close the thread, lock it, delete it.....just like the Ash Can when the libs trip over things, like as of late......

Minister of Fire2.

NULL

There is nothing wrong with using insulation when it is part of the listed product...but you or anyone else cannot and should not add insulation to a thimble such as the dude in the vid. He is wrong and not just with doing that but a few other things I noticed too. Not to mention he's installing a real piece of crap stove too. Perhaps the biggest no no.

Minister of Fire2.

NULL

Yes, the Selkirk DT does not have an insulated thimble at this time. I hope they will have one soon. I would never advise anyone to stuff their thimble or install a thimble that is not factory original. Since it is possible to purchase an insulated thimble, it may be an idea in a real cold region.
In the meantime, Since my garage is so cold, I am trying some fire proof insulation in the DT thimble because it runs cooler within the 3rd wall and the insulation is outside the 3rd wall. I am doing a test and watching it closely here and will let you know the results.

However if you saw this video you may understand the properties of Rock Wool a little better!
As they say in the video, "Have you ever seen a rock burn?"
Believe me after seeing this I feel much safer having my pellet pipe surrounded by rock wool than an air space! Wow! ! !

Feeling the Heat2.

NULL

Believe me after seeing this I feel much safer having my pellet pipe surrounded by rock wool than an air space! Wow! ! !

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I am by no means an installer, mechanic, or anything else related to a pellet stove other than an end user. I also did NOT stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. But I think you are still missing the point. It's not about the fact that the insulation cannot burn. It's about the fact that now the insulation is going to transfer heat to the thimble, and in turn the thimble will now transfer it to the wood of the home, thus causing a fire hazard. I think this is what everyone has taken issue with. That particular thimble that does not come from the factory with the insulation and may be designed with different material, thickness, etc. and may not be approved for that heat transfer as well. Unless you are a metallurgist or work for the company, you will never know. Until your shed burns down.

Feeling the Heat2.

NULL

Don do you realize what you are doing and saying? You cannot under any circumstances stuff a whole wad of insulation into a space which it is not designed for. You could very well (or anyone else you is taking this advice) create a hot spot in the thimble and start a structure fire when you were actually just trying ti stop a draft through a tiny crack...which by many building code enforcement folks is supposed to be left WITHOUT silicone. mods...Please put an end to this thread before someone burns down their house.

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This guy Don, is a hack and he is dangerous with no concern for safety. I can't imagine him showing up to service someones stove. It's pretty obvious that he is the "laughing stock" on this forum. Just read his posts

It's not about the fact that the insulation cannot burn. It's about the fact that now the insulation is going to transfer heat to the thimble, and in turn the thimble will now transfer it to the wood of the home, thus causing a fire hazard. I think this is what everyone has taken issue with. That particular thimble that does not come from the factory with the insulation and may be designed with different material, thickness, etc. and may not be approved for that heat transfer as well. Unless you are a metallurgist or work for the company, you will never know. Until your shed burns down.

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He (Don) is as dumb as rocks. He doesn't have to prove it anymore, everyone knows.

Minister of Fire2.

NULL

If you go to seminars and classes, such as the one I just went to sponsored by Olympia Chimney Supply, there is often talk about technicians, sweeps, mechanics etc.. that run experiments in customer's homes. Kinda like insulating the air space in a thimble. Will doing this actually burn down someone's home? I don't know for sure, there are many variables...however; as professionals, we are bound by ethics to not "experiment" at a customer's expense. Filling a gap to seal out outside air may seem like logical thing to do. It can be disastrous under the right circumstances if the products you are using were not tested or designed with other materials, such as rock wool insulation etc...

Just look at this video you may understand the properties of Rock Wool a little better! This is what I am talking about!
As they say in the video, "Have you ever seen a rock burn?"
Believe me after seeing this I feel much safer having my pellet pipe surrounded by rock wool than an air space! Wow! ! !

Click to expand...

While I haven't ever seen rock burn, though it can be melted under enough heat or pressure, I have seen rock get hot enough to actually catch wood on fire if the wood touches it. It's not about the insulation burning...it's about the transfer of heat from one surface to another. When you insulate something such as the annular space around the thimble you are in fact consolidating the heat from the pipe. Temps that may be 250 on the surface could climb to 400 or more and since there is no vent to allow the heat to escape it just builds...over time the surrounding area starts to pyrolically break down until such a time things go very wrong. If one had a chimney fire in the vent and temps rose up over 1000, the insulated area could climb well over 1500 which is over the temp the pipe is actually designed to withstand and then the whole vent and or thimble starts to fall apart within the wall.

Don, if you are going to be doing installations, you ought to invest in some formal education aside from what you can troll up from the internet. It's no coincidence that more than 50% of the stoves I go to service are installed wrong and therefore need to be reinstalled properly before I can work on them.

NH doesn't require any licensure for solid fuel professionals...but, just because the State doesn't say so, that in itself is not a license for folks to go out and install whatever they want however they want. It is also not a coincidence that when a home burns to the ground in New England from a stove...NH homes seem to be more likely to lead the front pages of the papers.

I'm just coming at you from a competitors standpoint Don, but as a licensed and trained professional: